Gastro so good

The Havelock is a very comfortable place. When any gastropub has been around for five or more years it becomes part of the local scene rather than a novel addition to it, and the continuing patronage of the locals is your guarantee that standards haven't slipped.

At the Havelock the customers are a varied bunch ranging from music industry folk through journalists and writers to glamorous young mums lunching with toddlers in tow. But this is still a real pub, and despite the short but promising wine list there is a decent pint of beer to be had.

The menu is chalked up on a blackboard and changes twice a day - nothing radical but anything that may have run out is rubbed off and substitutions made, thus the chargrilled fillets of mackerel may end up being sardines. The bread is terrifically good with a splendid crust. At lunch there is a good deal of overlap between starters and main courses - please yourself seems to be the order of the day - the dishes all seem vaguely familiar and occupy the middle ground between Mediterranean food and modern British cooking. There may be shellfish soup with rouille and croutons, or a warm leek, wild mushroom, spinach and Parmesan tart.

A pork, Spanish black pudding, chorizo, olive chickpea and red pepper terrine is a tour de force, skilfully made and with a delightful array of textures from the rich black pudding to the slight crunch of chickpeas. The kitchen also seems to be good with fish and the 'chargrilled fillets of mackerel' (or sardines) comes with 'warm new potato and bacon salad, shallots and a sweet mustard dressing'. Or there may be a whole chargrilled sea bream - accurately cooked fish, simply presented and with contrasting accompaniments. Prices are gentle at the Havelock and it is deservedly popular. All of which means you should arrive early.